The Interview with Master A-fa together with Public Television Service (PTS) Miss Ally

Go to Nanyao Temple for on-site video shooting

Early in the morning on the day of the video shooting, we gathered in advance and simply took care of our hair and clothes. In an instant, everyone looked energetic and brilliant. The beautiful and glamorous host Miss Ally arrived at the agreed meeting place at Nanyao Temple on time. Nanyao Temple and Master A-fa have a very close relationship. Master A-fa’s Buddhist paraphernalia shop is also located diagonally opposite Nanyao Temple. Unfortunately, Nanyao Temple is currently under renovation and entry is temporarily prohibited. We could only poke our heads around the perimeter while introducing Miss Ally to this national grade III historic site with a history of more than 250 years.

At that time, the staff of the temple, Mr. Mu-lin Chen, saw us. After understanding the purpose of our visit, he kindly took us into Nanyao Temple through the small door on the side. This small door is a hidden passage unknown to ordinary pilgrims. After a magical experience like “open sesame,” we stepped into the sacred temple. The architecture of Nanyao Temple is very distinctive and combines styles from different countries including China, Japan, and the Western countries, making it very different from other traditional temples. While appreciating the unique architecture, we walked from the Guanyin Hall, which has strong architectural features, to the back hall, to prepare to visit “Ancient Xiang Dan” which has been repaired by Master A-fa many times.

The teachers mentioned that when Nanyao Temple replaced the old Xiang Dan with the new one for the first time in 250 years last year, our seniors visited the ancient Xiang Dan, which was stored in Nanyao Temple for people to admire, and made a special project on Xiang Dan. This time, thanks to the abbot, we had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the true face of the legendary old Xiang Dan. This Xiang Dan looks like an exquisitely carved small temple. There are various carvings on the roof that symbolize auspicious meanings. There is a plaque with the characters of Nanyao Temple hanging on it. There are also gold-engraved Spring Festival couplets on the side of the door, which are small and exquisite. What's even more amazing is that the old Xiang Dan remains intact after enduring many years of long journeys. Of course, the biggest contributor behind this is Master A-fa, who has the uncanny ability to repair the old Xian Dan to it was before!